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Sometimes we can build such a strong connection with another person that it’s like we can hear their thoughts and know what they’re feeling. But for the young woman in Mind Games by Nora Roberts, that ability isn’t just a crazy coincidence; it’s a gift that sometimes feels like a curse.
The story begins as 12-year-old Thea and her younger brother, Rem, are enjoying their annual summer trip to Kentucky, where they get to spend two whole weeks visiting their grandmother. One night, though, Thea wakes from something that’s too real to be just a dream—and it wakes Grammie, too. Both saw Thea’s parents’ brutal murder—and Thea’s vision was so clear that she’s able to help the police bring the killer, Ray Riggs, to justice. But as the years pass, she can’t escape this man who has an ability much like her own—and who’s determined to get his revenge.
While Thea’s ability to see into the thoughts and feelings of others allows her to help her neighbors—and even, on occasion, the police—it also leaves her open to her parents’ killer. The beginning of the novel is intense and gripping and absolutely heartbreaking, developing this tight-knit family of endearing characters and their story. Through the years, though, Thea learns how to control her ability—to keep Riggs out—and, for a while, her story wanders off into the more mundane, everyday parts of her life.
The story then picks up just snippets of Thea’s life over 15 years: her childhood friendships, her teenage obsession with a pop band, her college years, and her moving back to Kentucky to start her dream job. The pacing can feel strange and aimless after the intense first act, but while Thea’s ability moves to the background, leaving readers to take an unexpected break and wander through the Kentucky countryside, the tension slowly rebuilds.
Eventually, then, Thea’s connection with Riggs comes to a breaking point. As she falls in love and finds herself and the people she loves threatened by this powerful, dangerous man, she struggles to figure out how to open herself up to a new life without bringing Riggs along with her. And the drama and suspense build to the kind of action that will have readers holding their breath through the final chapters.
Through its action, romance, and heavy suspense, Mind Games takes readers on a long and winding journey of magic and tension with Thea and her family. The pacing may feel a little uneven at times, but all of the ups and downs come together to tell a compelling story.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:
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